A biometric authentication technology is a technology of confirming an identity from biometric features such as a fingerprint, a face, an iris, a voiceprint and handwriting.
The biometric authentication technology involves utilizing the biometric features indispensable for the identity and is therefore considered low in terms of a risk of being stolen and faked as compared with an identity check based on storage of a personal identification number and a password and an identity check based on a seal and a card. A possibility of “spoofing” is, however, pointed out, which establishes the authentication in such a way that a third party acquires the biometric feature in an unauthorized manner and uses a copy of the biometric feature as a fake.
For example, there is a technology of determining whether the target body is the living organism or not by measuring an electrical characteristic of a skin. Further, another technology is that whether the target body is the living organism or not is determined by optically detecting that the skin is multilayer-structured or detecting a color of the skin. Still another technology is proposed, which determines from a pulse wave whether the target body is the living organism or not.
Alternatively, as by a technology of making the determination from a motion of a pupil upon which the light impinges, a technology exists, which determines based on a response to an external stimulus whether the target body is the living organism or not. Further, there is a technology of determining whether the target body is the living organism or not by heating or cooling a finger after being authenticated and detecting an expansion or contraction of arteriovenous anastomosis.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 3721165    [Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-99783    [Patent document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H02-079181    [Patent document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-513188    [Patent document 5] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-122237    [Patent document 6] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-331268    [Patent document 7] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-148862    [Patent document 8] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-30659    [Patent document 9] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-37652